Director of Golf,Keeton Park Golf Course,Dallas, Texas
For PGA of America Golf Professionals who empha size mentoring, there are endless opportunities for old – or, perhaps, “experienced” – dogs to learn new tricks. That’s what PGA of America Director of Golf Tony Martinez is experiencing at Keeton Park Golf Course in Dallas as part of the mutual mentoring experience he is having with the public facility’s PGA of America Head Professional: his son, Ty Martinez.
“When I look at the generational difference between us, it’s really something,” Tony Martinez says. “When I was his age, I was dead set on making sure I was the guy with the coolest calligraphy scoreboards in town. Ty’s focused on digital engagement, improving online check-in, improving our online footprint. He’s able to say, ‘Dad, I don’t really think we need those scoreboards anymore.’
“What I realize is this generation is different from mine, and I can embrace it or say I don’t like it. But what I realize from watching Ty work is this: You don’t say whoa to a racehorse. And I think that’s something we should embrace as mentors.”
Martinez has mentored countless youngsters during his time at Keeton Park, not to mention through the mentoring program of the Northern Texas PGA Section. He says the experience of working with and mentoring his own son has been both refreshing and enlightening.
“I naturally trust Ty a lot because he’s my son, so I gave him a little more leeway off the bat, and now that shows me that I probably missed out on some opportunities I had with other mentees along the way because I didn’t give them the same freedom,” Martinez says. “I see now how so many Millennials and Gen Z professionals can run rings around me digitally, and in adding efficiencies to our operations. I wish I could have some do-overs with some of the PGA of America Golf Professionals who worked for me along the way.
“As I’m evolving and embracing new ideas, I’m learning – and I’m still passing along important guidance and long-term thinking to Ty and others who I’m mentoring. It’s a mutual benefit, and it’s very exciting if you want to keep improving yourself.”
Martinez advises his fellow PGA of America Golf Professionals in mentoring positions to be mindful of the impact they have in shaping younger professionals through their own behavior.
“My early mentors gave me a vision and showed me a path in this business. They set a standard and gave me someone to look up to and say, ‘I want to be like that,’” Martinez says. “I think I can really see now that it was less about the teaching and the technical elements of the job and more about collaborating and letting someone walk beside you. A mentor has past experience and informed opinions, but the mentee has a fresh perspective.
“You have to believe in yourself to get started in this business. But once you see that someone else you respect also believes in you, that takes it to a different place and your self-belief grows. Plus, you now have someone you know you can come back to when you need guidance.”
And, as Martinez says, the process of mentoring younger professionals has a way of keeping more experienced professionals engaged and excited well into their career arc.
“I feel like I’ve been re-energized,” Martinez says, well into his third decade as a PGA of America Golf Professional. “The history of this game and business are so great, but we can sometimes get trapped in tradition. I’ve matured over the years as a business owner and operator, and I see that having a fresh perspective helps us work toward our goals and success. I think all of us who are fortunate enough to be considered mentors should embrace the opportunity to do as much learning as we do teaching.”